Chapter 16 #2
“I kept thinking maybe the next town would be different,” he said. “Maybe I’d finally feel at home somewhere. Maybe I’d finally stop dwelling on what my life should be like. But nowhere felt right. Nowhere felt like Basin County.”
“So, you came back.”
“So, I came back. And walked straight into another nightmare.”
Brooke reached across the table, her hand covering his. The touch was meant to be comforting, a simple human connection. But the moment her skin met his, heat spread up his arm.
Tyler looked up and found her eyes already on him. The awareness that had been building between them since they’d met intensified, becoming almost tangible in the quiet kitchen.
“I believe you’re innocent,” Brooke said quietly. “I don’t think you killed Sheila. And I don’t think you killed your family.”
“Thank you.” His voice came out rougher than intended. “That means more than you know.”
Her hand was still on his. Neither of them moved to break the contact. Tyler could feel his heartbeat in his throat, could see the way Brooke’s breathing had changed.
He should pull away—remember that Boverman was still watching him, still waiting for a reason to make another move—but he couldn’t make himself step back.
“Tyler,” Brooke said, and there was something in the way she said his name that made his chest ache.
“I should go.” But he didn’t move. “You don’t need more complications in your life.”
“Maybe I do.” Her eyes held his.
“Brooke— ”
She stood and went around to his side of the table. Tyler stood too.
They were close. Close enough that he knew the lovely scent from earlier was her shampoo, an intoxicating mix of coconut and vanilla.
Tyler fought the urge to kiss her. Knew he shouldn’t. Getting involved with Brooke, with everything going on, was selfish and wrong.
But the pull was magnetic. Undeniable. He wanted to touch her so badly it hurt.
“Sorry,” he said, even as his hand came up to cup her cheek. “You deserve better than this mess.”
“What if I don’t want better?” Brooke’s voice was barely above a whisper as she turned her cheek into his hand. “What if I want you?”
Tyler started to pull back, to do the right thing and walk away. But Brooke moved in, closing the distance between them.
The kiss was brief. Gentle. Her lips were soft against his, her hand coming up to rest against his chest. It lasted maybe three seconds, but it felt like the world had shifted.
When they pulled apart, both breathing harder, Tyler knew he was in trouble. Because that kiss—brief and gentle as it was—had been amazing. Unforgettable. The kind of kiss you don’t come back from.
“I really should go,” he said again, but this time there was less conviction in his voice.
“Probably.” But Brooke didn’t move away.
They stood there for another moment, the tension between them thick enough to cut. Finally, reluctantly, Tyler stepped back.
“When can I see you again?” The question was out before he could stop it.
“Soon.” Brooke’s smile was small but genuine. “We’ll figure something out.”
He thought about saying how much he liked the sound of that, how much he liked that she was ready to work things out. Instead, he nodded, wearing what was no doubt a goofy smile.
“Let me make sure everything’s locked up, then we’ll head out the back, okay?” Brooke said, grabbing her jacket and purse.
“Can I help?”
“No, I’ve got it.” She waved him off and disappeared through the kitchen door into the main part of the coffee shop.
Tyler rinsed the mugs and placed them in the sink before waiting by the door. A couple of minutes later, she returned and ushered him out into the alley.
The evening air was cool, the heat of the late August day burning off. Tyler walked Brooke to her SUV, parked behind the shop.
“Thank you,” he said. “For believing me. For listening. For . . . ” He trailed off, not sure how to finish.
“For kissing you?” Brooke supplied, a hint of humor in her voice.
“Yeah. That too.”
She unlocked her door but didn’t get in immediately. “Be careful, Tyler. Don’t give Boverman a reason to arrest you again.”
“I’ll be careful.”
“Promise me.”
“I promise.”
She stood on her toes and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, then climbed into her SUV before he could react. Tyler watched as she started the engine, backed out of the alley, and drove away.
He stood there for a long moment after her taillights disappeared, his hand touching the spot where she’d kissed his cheek.
Something was building between them. Something real and powerful and terrifying in its intensity. He’d come to Basin County hoping to start over, to build a new life in the place that had always felt like home.
He hadn’t expected to find Brooke.
Hadn’t expected to feel this way about someone when his life was such a disaster.
But here he was, standing in an alley behind her coffee shop, still feeling the ghost of her kiss on his lips and knowing that everything had changed.
Tyler walked to his truck, scanning the street for any sign of Adam’s patrol vehicle or sports car. Nothing. Another small mercy.
As he drove home, Tyler thought about Brooke’s smile, her laugh, the way she’d looked at him in the dim kitchen light. He thought about the kiss that had lasted only seconds but felt like it had rewired something fundamental inside him.
He was in trouble. Deep, serious, wonderful trouble.
And for the first time in years, that didn’t feel like a curse.
It felt like hope.